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2024年4月12日发(作者：verticals)
An essay on linguistics
Language Competence and Language Performance
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[Abstract] Language is a tool of communication. The fundamental purpose to
master a language is to communicate. This article lists Chomsky’s and Hymes’
definition of language competence and performance, an analysis of their
distinction, relationship and enlightenments to foreign language learning,
expecting to provide some help to the learners.
[Key words] language competence, language performance, learning.
In the process of language learning, people often talk about competence and
performance which are two skills of language learning. They rely on each other as
well as promote each other. Understanding their meanings and differences
correctly takes a positive influence to our foreign language learning.
Ⅰ.The Differences between Competence and Performance
In order to understand the two concepts of language competence and
language performance, it’s worth mentioning the two linguistics’ points of view.
1.1 Chomsky’s standpoint
Chomsky is a U.S. linguist famous for his important ideas about language,
including the idea that everyone is born with knowledge about grammar.
According to Chomsky, language competence and language performance are
completely different. Competence is an ability to recognize and understand
sentences, including summarizing the language materials and deducing them to
the language rules and regular sentences. He thought, language refers to the
ability of the speakers’ and listeners’ internal knowledge. Competence is the
speakers’ underlying linguistic knowledge and the abstract master to language
system. Performance is just the actual behavior of competence. Although
performance is derived from competence, it’s not equal to competence.
Performance is unique and diverse, and always dependent on the environment.
Competence is an abstract concept that is full of details but unable to confirm.
They are totally two fundamentally different phenomenons. To attach importance
to language is to attach to the most basic things, namely language competence.
1.2 Hymes’ standpoint.
Hymes is an American anthropologist and linguist famous for his idea about
communicative competence.
In accordance with Hymes, language competence refers to not only make
sentences obey the grammatical rules, but also use the language appropriately. He
put forward communicative competence that is antagonistic to Chomsky's
language competence. Hymes thought, Chomsky’s thought only involves
language rules but ignores the social rules which is the important characteristic of
communicative functions as a social phenomenon. In his view, competence is the
ability to communicate in a particular environment with using language smoothly.
That is to say, one’s communicative competence includes not only language
knowledge, but also the ability to use language appropriately in social
environment. Training the four basic language skills—listening, speaking, reading,
writing—should reflect the interdependence of language and communication.
Ⅱ.The Relationship between Competence and Performance
Language competence and language performance are interdependent and
complementary to each other.
On the one hand, language competence is the premise of language
performance. Competence is to performance what composer’s skills is to
composing or improvising music. Without solid language skills can not gain a
good ability of language use.
On the other hand, to improve the ability of language performance can
enhance and consolidate the lever of language competence. Performance is
reflected in the competence, since language ability is not equal to have the ability
to use the language. Performance can neither be replaced by nor improve in pace
with competence, but to gain by training and practicing.
Ⅲ. Enlightenments to Foreign Language Learning
The ultimate purpose of foreign language learning is not only to learn
grammatical knowledge, but also to cultivate students' ability of using language. If
we only emphasize the use of language ability, while neglect the basic knowledge
of language learning, it is not possible to complete the task of foreign language
learning. In another word, ignoring either competence or performance is not able
to reach the purpose of foreign language learning. The ideal learning effect is that
language competence and language performance should keep in the same pace.
Ⅳ.Conclusion
I think that for the students of foreign language, competence needs to be
nurtured in the process of enhancing performance, but competence calls for more
efforts at the beginning stage while success in performance may motivate the
acquisition of competence.
References
1.
学出版社2011
胡壮麟 语言学教程第四版 北京：北京大
2.
北京大学出版社2002
胡壮麟、姜望琪 语言学高级教程 北京：
3.
语教育出版社1998
王宗炎 语言与语言的应用 上海：上海外
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